Paying for Nutrition: A Report on Food Costing in the North

“Paying for Nutrition: A Report on Food Costing in the North,” provides an analysis of food costing data in Northern Ontario, highlighting that one of the major factors contributing to food insecurity in northern First Nations populations is elevated cost of food.

The project was guided by methodologies from participatory action and collaborative research that are a part of the participatory food costing model, previously developed by FoodARC, a partner in this project in affiliation with Food Secure Canada.

“Paying for Nutrition represents the first time that food costing data have been collected from the Mushkegowuk Territories in a comprehensive manner – it serves as an important first step in addressing food insecurity in the North.”

Nutrition North, a program intended to increase the affordability of healthy foods in northern communities, has been widely deemed as inadequate. No comprehensive data has existed on the price that is paid to access a healthy diet for rural and northern on-reserve Indigenous households.

Paying for Nutrition reports that on-reserve households are experiencing a crisis in food security, where it is necessary for people in Fort Albany to spend 56% of their income on food if they are to purchase a basic nutritious diet.